A hugely imaginative take on a deeply conservative genre, which shows one of 2D gaming's best developers at the very height of their talents.

There’s little attempt at innovation in Starcraft II’s first expansion, but enough refinement and fine-tuning to please fans both new and old.

It bears little resemblance to any of its predecessors, but The Lost Crown is one of the best Metroidvania games of recent years and a highly enjoyable challenge.

A Dark Ages mystery whose gameplay and dialogue are as unique as it’s daringly unconventional premise and visuals.

One of the best action games of recent years and an irresistibly entertaining celebration of everything that is joyous and imaginative about video games.

The Room series offers players tactile, faux-Victorian puzzles that involve opening up wood and brass contraptions to reveal crank handles, sculptures with star-shaped bases, and devices that happen to be just the right angle to connect two recently-discovered apertures. Unlike The Room 2, which came over all Myst and had you spending a significant chunk of your time wandering back and forth, this goes back to its roots with a much more compact experience, revolving around the rooms of a single doll’s house. It does nothing to innovate and is relatively short-lived, but it’s enormously engaging while it lasts.

The ability to grind previously explored areas to improve skills and equipment is essential for all but the most dextrous players, and those with an MFi joypad will find it preferable to the onscreen controls, which while competent do sometimes let you down in the heat of battle. It’s game of the year material for fans of twitch action.

It’s a well-designed game, with a rewind button that lets you instantly skip back to the beginning of courses, and clever use of music to let you know you’re in a challenge rather than just noodling about on the snow. The first mountain is free, with all the others unlocked for a one-off payment.

There are neat graphical details, with chunks of masonry blown off buildings by grenades or tank rounds, and your tiny soldiers will automatically dive to the ground when a machinegun opens up nearby. The base game also had some excellent DLC, which will hopefully make its way to this rock solid iPad port.

One of the best-looking open world games ever but the formula is beginning to feel increasingly outdated, despite the cool visuals, fun samurai gear, and surprisingly good plot.

The worldless storytelling is some of the most compelling of the year and the purposefully frustrating control system an outrageously daring experiment.

A heartwarming adventure about growing up, packed full of imagination and 90s snark, but its main strength is the way in which it manages to expertly capture what it feels like to be a young, bored teen on the verge of adulthood.

A great version of one of the best fighting games, and therefore one of the best multiplayer games, of all time - assuming you have the dedication for it.

One of the best Final Fantasy games ever made, elevated by its innovative battle system but let down by weak storytelling and focusing on the wrong protagonists.

Time has been surprisingly kind to Ghost Trick, with its bizarre plot and gorgeous graphics, and while some old problems remain, they’re very easy to excuse.

A near perfect remastering of a classic strategy game, that succeeds not just because of nostalgia but because there’s never been anything else quite like Homeworld.

A great sequel to what is still probably the best Tower Defense game around, and a shining example of how to do free-to-play properly.

An almost entirely successful reboot that still offers deep and flexible combat but in a more accessible and approachable form – and really, the new Dante's not that bad.

Not much of a sequel but no matter how small the refinement this is still one of the best portable strategy games currently available.

The plot may have gone off the deep end but thankfully the puzzles remain perfectly logical in what is Layton's biggest and arguably best adventure yet.

Disturbing yet thought-provoking survival horror sequel, that stumbles slightly in terms of the repetitive combat but is easily the best new entry in the series since the PS2 era.

Far more interested in fixing the flaws of the original than most sequels, this is probably the best, or at least most accurate, use of Kinect so far.

An inspired ending to the Warhammer trilogy that rather than just adding new factions makes a host of clever additions and changes to the gameplay and structure, in what is one of the great achievements in modern strategy gaming.

The combat might never feel as clever as the visuals and narration but this is still an engrossing and distinctive action role-player.

PC purists may still scoff but this is an excellent version of one of gaming’s most open-ended and creative experiences.

One of the best survival horror games of the generation, that’s frequently terrifying but also surprisingly nuanced and intelligent when it comes to its storytelling.

One of the best PlayStation exclusives of recent years is an inspired mix of bullet hell shooter and roguelike dungeon crawler, that somehow still feels like nothing else on console or PC.

A touching, and highly playable, labour of love by fans that understand Sonic The Hedgehog better than Sega ever has in the last 20+ years.

A cheerier, more versatile alternative to Trials HD, that manages to make trial-and-error fun.

One of the best remakes ever, but also a puzzle platformer that defies its age to offer an enjoyable challenge to gamers both young and old.

A big budget recreation of the Indiana Jones cinematic experience, that is both a loving homage to the movies and a complex, ambitious action adventure in its own right.

A fantastically clever deconstruction of video games and the people that play them, as well as a hugely entertaining action puzzler that’s not really about ponies.

An impressively full-bodied Japanese role-player that’s good enough to attract non-Monster Hunter fans, with the Pokémon style collection process making up for the flaws in the storytelling and combat.

Clever puzzles, immersive presentation, and an intriguing plot combine in one of the most ambitious and original smartphone games of the year.

One of the best PC to console ports ever, with the strategy great working impressively well on the Switch and opening up the series to a whole new audience.

As polished a product as Rockstar has ever produced but the action and storytelling are rigidly one note, and neither is sustained for long enough.

An inspired mix of old school Resi game design and modern presentation, and the best VR options so far in a major release.

The old style Tomb Raider is never coming back, but this is a more satisfying compromise than the reboot and a fun alternative to the Uncharted series.

PUBG is one of the best multiplayer experiences of the generation, and this is the best version of it so far – even if it’s still a work in progress.

On a flat screen Thumper already seems like a near perfect video game experience but in VR it becomes its own reality, one that’s thrilling and unnerving in equal measure.

There are still a few rough edges to be driven over, but as mild as the improvements are this still makes Forza Horizon 2 one of the best racers of recent years.

A surreal and unsettling work of interactive fiction, that examines not just the end of Covid lockdown but issues of friendship, passion, and murder.

A satisfying end to an impressively varied series of downloads, with a strong restatement of everything that makes Battlefield so unique.

The best detective game ever made, that tells its unpredictable story through a mix of idiosyncratic visuals and equally unique puzzle gameplay.

It’s not the plot that’s important in Deltarune but the bizarre range of characters and the surreal situations you find yourself in. Although at the heart of it all is a very pacifist ideology, that celebrates the power of love and the need for empathy without ever seeming mawkish or patronising. And while also paying homage to old school Japanese role-players and having a cracking soundtrack.

Imaginative use of VR to make one of the best new music games of the generation, and which also manages to be the best Star Wars game never made.

A superb mix of action and strategy that should be enough to convince everyone that turn-based doesn’t have to mean slow or serious.

Still one of the best third person actioners of all-time, and although the Wii U version changes very little the classic gameplay still shines through.

One of the best 2D shooters of the modern era is also one of the most visually distinctive games of the whole generation, and a stunning work of imagination on every level.

A revolutionary approach to storytelling and an excess of charm makes this modest little indie game one of the most important new role-players of the new generation.

It’s relatively short but Cuphead’s long-awaited DLC does not disappoint, with some incredibly well orchestrated boss battles that look more amazing than ever.

It leans too much in the direction of the original when it comes to the puzzles and difficultly level but this is still an utterly charming romp, with wonderfully inventive set pieces and gorgeous visuals.

The mechanics are the same as always but this makes a genuine effort to address the flaws of the previous titles and make the best use of Kinect so far.

Arkanoid is finally superseded as the best Breakout clone around in this enjoyable retro update.

Utterly charming and subversively clever in that classic Nintendo way, this is one of the best games on the 3DS and one of the mostly perfectly polished titles on any system this year.

The best new music title for years and a significant improvement on the first game, with almost every complaint from the original addressed.

An entertaining open world action role-player, with an interesting approach to AI-controlled companions, but which proves disappointingly similar to the 2012 original.

Probably the best giant robot game ever made and an excellent companion piece to the likes of Dark Souls and Elden Ring, that matches both games in terms of spectacle and customisation.

Old school to a fault, but fans of the series – and anyone else that appreciates its honest charms – will find much to love in this simplistic but heart-warming role-player.

The 15 islands you’ll rule in campaign mode take a lot of work to balance, as you try to ensure your populace is well paid, fed, and entertained to offset the less pleasant needs to pay rent and taxes. It’s highly engaging and the iPad port works seamlessly.

All the changes and additions are for the best, and a great step forward for Destiny in general, but they come at a price – both literally and figuratively.

What should have been a hotchpotch of other people’s ideas, made worse by frustratingly high difficulty, is in reality one of the most cleverly designed video games of recent years, with superb action and endless replayability.

A classic indie game that remains as cleverly unique today as it did 16 years ago, even if none of its original flaws have been ironed out in the meantime.

A better Gran Turismo game than the real thing, with stunning graphics and mountains of content – although the use of loot crates and limited-use mods is worrying.

Punishingly hard for no good reason, turning what could have been a fun reaction-based platform game into a painful memory test.

A game you will lose hundreds of hours to and although you can criticise the lack of development in certain areas, it remains the thinking football fan’s go-to game.

A superbly effective combination of the very best of Persona's storytelling and character design, with one of the best 2D fighters of the modern era.

A fantastically clever puzzler that would be perfectly welcome if it was just a 3D Lemmings clone, but it soon evolves into something far more imaginative and unpredictable.

BlazBlue goes out in a blaze of glory, and although it lacks new ideas it certainly isn’t short of characters, game modes, or thrilling action.

A stunning achievement in open world gameplay but one whose tonal inconsistencies and weak narrative undermines what could have been an all-time classic.

Still the best Japanese role-player of the last generation, even if squeezing it down onto the New 3DS does it few favours.

The best Fire Emblem yet, with more depth of gameplay and options than ever before and yet still perfectly accessible for new players.

One of the most exciting driving sims of the new generation, and hopefully a game that will only get better over the coming months.

It’s certainly not the best entry in the Zelda series, but a good quality remaster and the presence of Midna still makes this one worth returning to.

A clever mash-up of two very different games that perfectly evokes the best of 2D Zelda while integrating the surprisingly tactical rhythm action combat of Crypt Of The NecroDancer.

The best Monster Hunter yet, with some useful improvements in terms of combat variety and accessibility for new players – even if it still falls short of the series’ full potential.

WayForward's best work yet and more than just a love letter to 2D art and gameplay, but a hint of how it can continue in the future.

A work of devilish cleverness that’s both a mockery and celebration of collectible cards games and an increasingly disturbing horror story about the cost of victory.

A necessary reboot that fights accusations of dumbing down with an artful mix of stealth and violence.

One of the best strategy games to ever appear on a console, with some genuine gameplay innovation and authentic Nintendo magic.

The true successor to the SimCity legacy, and even though it only restates what was great about the original it still does a better job than the last decade or so of official games.

One of the best driving sims of the new generation, and although it still lacks content in some areas the console versions are just as good as the PC.

The best new rhythm action game for years, with a perfect blend of gameplay, music, and a frighteningly oppressive atmosphere.

A superb remake of Metroid II and the best 2D entry since Super Metroid, that doesn’t compromise at all in terms of challenge, complexity, or atmosphere.

Another inspired mix of skateboarding and 2D platforming that manages to combine a surprising level of realism with some wonderfully impossible level design.

Simple, charming, and considerably improved on the 3DS. Dragon Quest isn’t for everyone but this bridges the gap between retro and modern games very well.

One of the best Japanese role-players of the generation and a gloriously beautiful game by any standard, both visually and emotionally.

It’s unique while it lasts, though, its idle gameplay proving as engaging as ever, and its wilful misunderstanding of Stephen Hawking’s ideas, along with a peculiar obsession with potatoes, making it one to savour.

Moving beyond a mere homage to Dungeon Master this is one of the best dungeon crawlers of recent years, even if the puzzle balance still isn’t quite right.

Consistently underrated at the time this masterful mix of influences makes hardly a single mistake in all three games - and definitely deserves a fourth.

It may not have the depth of Street Fighter IV, but this is just as accessible and fun as its big brother.

Unleashing the full, terrifying complexity of a PC-based grand strategy game on console is a Herculean task, which Crusader Kings 3 manages with deftness and aplomb.

An inessential but enjoyable expansion for the best 2D Mario game of the modern era, with some fun multiplayer distractions and a soupçon of new single-player content.

Not at all what you’d expect from the makers of Dragon’s Crown, but as well as the expectedly beautiful artwork this has some of the most engaging high school melodrama this side of Persona.

At times inconsistent and unrefined but the echoes concept is excellent and allows for one of the most innovative and open-ended 2D Zeldas of the modern era.

A deep, funny, and intricately designed RPG reminiscent of the golden age of Fallout, when conversations mattered and comedy-grade cynicism came fitted as standard.

The storytelling and characters are as dull as ever, but Horizon Zero Dawn remains one of the best open world experiences of the last gen and now looks better than ever.

An excellent Yakuza game with some Switch 2 benefits, but the bonuses fail to justify the high price tag.